174 



DARKLING-BEETLES. 



Cleanliness is one of the best remedies against such nocturnal 

 insects. In extreme cases the fumes of bisulphide of carbon 

 should be employed to kill them. Many of these and similar 

 beetles have become very numerous in our houses since the in- 

 troduction of prepared breakfast foods ; tbe spaces behind the 

 patent flour bins in pantries are also excellent breeding places 

 for such insects, as there they are not as often disturbed as they 

 ought to be. 



J~i 



mm 



Fig. 180. — Blaps mortisaga, Linn., and larva. After Brehm. 



Fig. 180 shows a common beetle belonging to this family; 

 it is Blaps mortisaga, and is found in Europe, like the meal-bug, 

 in barns, stables and cellars. Our western plains, especially in 

 the warmer regions, abound in similar beetles ; they are found 

 in large numbers beneath dry dung, and some of them are very 

 peculiar beings, having their wing-covers soldered together, since 

 they possess only rudimentary true wings or none at all. Fig. 181, 

 (Plate I) shows a very peculiar insect, black and white in color; 

 it is Zopherus Haldemani Salle. 



One of the most peculiar beetles belonging to this family is 

 frequently received by the entomologist as a great rarity, simply 



